Oakdale Rodeo History

The Oakdale Saddle Club is founded by local horsemen committed to creating a lasting home for western competition and community events.

The program included eleven amateur rodeo events, including calf roping, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, trick horse performances, and team roping. First-place prizes ranged from approximately $10 to $50, but the real reward was seeing the community’s vision come to life.

Oakdale had a population of roughly 3,435 people at the time. More than 4,500 spectators reportedly attended the event.

Professional rodeo promoter John Bowman and John Markham stage the Oakdale Stampede, helping strengthen Oakdale’s reputation as a destination for serious rodeo competition.

The Saddle Club presents its first professional rodeo while continuing to use the Clover Round-Up name.

The event officially becomes known as the Oakdale Rodeo, beginning a new chapter in its growing legacy.

As Oakdale becomes known as a home and training ground for accomplished rodeo competitors, - and having generated the most champions in this era - the community proudly embraces the title Cowboy Capital of the World.

The rodeo has grown into a signature spring tradition that welcomes competitors, families, visitors, and rodeo fans while continuing to honor the western values on which it was founded.